A team of researchers from the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Thames Valley Police, the National Crime Agency, the John Radcliffe Hospital, Lurtis Ltd. and Cardiff University, has developed an advanced physics-based AI-driven tool to aid the forensic investigation of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The study, published today (26 Feb) in Communications Engineering, introduces a mechanics-informed machine learning framework to help police and forensic teams accurately predict TBI outcomes based on documented assault scenarios. TBI is a critical public health issue, with severe and long-term neurological consequences. In forensic investigations, determining ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- About 60 percent of all cancer patients in the United States receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. However, this radiation can have severe side effects that often end up being too difficult for patients to tolerate. Drawing inspiration from a tiny organism that can withstand huge amounts of radiation, researchers at MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the University of Iowa have developed a new strategy that may protect patients from this kind of damage. Their approach makes use of a protein from tardigrades, often also called “water bears,” which are usually less than a millimeter in ...

New double network hydrogel technology features automated self-strengthening that rapidly activates upon deformation of its polymer network. Hydrogels are soft materials consisting of polymer networks and water. They are permeable to substances smaller than their network mesh size and have applications in biomaterials, contact lenses, soft robots, and more. At the molecular level, the cleavage of chemical bonds causes a material to become mechanically weaker and can lead to its destruction. Mechanochemically ...

The symptoms of schizophrenia vary greatly from person to person. A new study shows how these differences manifest themselves in the structure of the brain. Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition that affects perception, thought and emotions. This complexity is reflected in the individual manifestations of the disease: for some patients, perceptual disturbances are the main problem, while for others, cognitive impairments are more prevalent. “In this sense, there is not one schizophrenia, but many, each with different neurobiological profiles,” says Wolfgang Omlor, first author of the study and senior physician at the University Hospital of Psychiatry ...

Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) are growing in popularity but new peer-reviewed research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, from the University of Bath, suggests they may not be as accurate as many believe. Originally designed to help people living with diabetes manage their blood sugar, these devices are now being used by the health-conscious to track how different foods affect their glucose levels. The study, from the University’s Centre for Nutrition, Exercise ...

Colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer-related death, affects almost 2 million people worldwide every year. It is mainly treated with chemotherapy, but its effectiveness decreases over time due to the progressive resistance of tumor cells. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified specific alterations in certain lipids in cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy. These lipid signatures could serve as prognostic markers for understanding resistance to treatment and pave the way for personalized, targeted strategies ...

New York, NY [February 26, 2025]— A new Mount Sinai study provides compelling evidence that exercise can significantly help the mental well-being of millions of women living with chronic pelvic pain disorders (CPPDs), such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids. The researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that activities like brisk walking or aerobic exercise can lead to measurable improvements in mental well-being, regardless of pain levels or history of anxiety or depressive disorders. Their findings were reported in the February 26 online issue of the Journal of Pain Research. CPPDs affect millions of women worldwide, leading to increased health care ...

A recent study shows that computer algorithms can be used to find molecules that can be developed into anti-inflammatory drugs. In the article, the researchers also describe how the same strategy can be used to search through 10 sextillion alternatives to identify the best drug candidate. One of the biggest challenges in drug development is finding the right candidates among the vast number of possible molecules. A new study published in Nature Communications shows that it is possible to identify drug molecules by modelling them using computer algorithms. “We use the computer models to search through databases containing billions of molecules. This method will be able ...

A low-energy challenger to the quantum computer that also works at room temperature may be the result of research at the University of Gothenburg. The researchers have shown that information can be transmitted using magnetic wave motion in complex networks. Spintronics explores magnetic phenomena in nano-thin layers of magnetic materials that are exposed to magnetic fields, electric currents and voltages. These external stimuli can also create spin waves, ripples in a material's magnetisation that travel with a specific phase and energy. The researchers ...

HERNDON, Va., February 25, 2025 -- One of the human impacts of natural hazards is household displacement.  Destructive floods, wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes often force people to leave their homes -- some briefly, others for months or indefinitely. Most disaster risk assessments, used by insurance companies, government agencies, development banks, and academic researchers to predict the potential future impacts of natural hazards, fail to account for hardships incurred by household displacement. Instead, they focus on direct ...

In residential areas, where a growing number of older people live, the first- and last-mile mobility between their homes and bus stops has become a social problem. Older adults are encouraged to relinquish their licenses and rely on public transportation. Demand-responsive transport (DRT) has the potential to address this social problem. DRT is a mode of transportation that dispatches on demand to pick up and drop off passengers according to their needs. However, older adults’ lesser acceptance of digital solutions poses a challenge to this new system. Dr. Haruka Kato, a junior associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan ...

A world-first technology has been developed by introducing a roll-to-roll compatible flash process into secondary battery electrode manufacturing, significantly suppressing the performance degradation of thick electrodes. This breakthrough presents a new possibility of reducing battery costs by minimizing inactive materials and simplifying the manufacturing process while increasing energy density and capacity, making batteries smaller and lighter. The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Seog-Hyeon Ryu, hereinafter referred to as KIMM), an institute under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT, has developed an electrode activation technology utilizing an ...

Named LLM4SD (Large Language Model 4 Scientific Discovery), the new AI system is an interactive Large Language Model (LLM) tool which can carry out basic steps of scientific research i.e. retrieve useful information from literature and develop hypotheses from data analysis. The tool is freely available and open source.  When asked, the system is also able to provide insights to explain its results, a feature that is not available for many current scientific validation tools.  LLM4SD was tested with 58 separate research tasks relating to molecular properties across four different scientific domains: physiology, physical chemistry, biophysics and quantum mechanics.  Lead ...

Researchers from Japan and Taiwan reveal for the first time that helium, usually considered chemically inert, can bond with iron under high pressures. They used a laser-heated diamond anvil cell to find this, and the discovery suggests there could be huge amounts of helium in the Earth’s core. This could challenge long-standing ideas about the planet’s internal structure and history, and may even reveal details of the nebula our solar system coalesced from. If you’ve ever seen a volcanic eruption and wondered what might be coming ...

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister pushed through the finishing tape at Iffley Road track in Oxford, England, and collapsed into the arms of friends after becoming the first human to run a mile in less than four minutes. “It was the running equivalent to summiting Mount Everest for the first time,” said University of Colorado Boulder Integrative Physiology Professor Rodger Kram. “Prior to Bannister, it was considered impossible—beyond the limits of human physiology.” Seven decades later, a female runner has yet to follow ...

A high dietary intake of lean and oily fish may slow the progression of disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests a comparative population based study, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.   The anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties of the nutrients found in fish may be key, say the researchers, who add that their findings underscore the potential importance of diet in managing the disease. Emerging evidence indicates that diet may have a role in the development of inflammatory diseases, including MS, explain the researchers.  While previously published research has linked fish ...

UK Armed Forces servicewomen needing an abortion face a unique set of hurdles around access and care, as well as stigma and judgemental attitudes from senior (usually male) colleagues, indicates the first study of its kind, published online in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.   Although based on a relatively low response rate, the findings prompt the researchers to call for more information and policy on abortion provision, both for service personnel and military healthcare professionals. In the UK around 1 in 3 women ...

The use of powerful synthetic opioids, such as sufentanil and remifentanil, during surgery is linked to a subsequent poor ‘pain experience’---a composite of emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of pain— suggests research published in the open access journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.   The findings highlight the need to reassess intraoperative pain relief strategies to reduce complications after surgery and improve the quality of patient care, say the researchers. Most patients ...

Millions of people with type 2 diabetes could receive better treatment thanks to a new, simple low-cost tool, according to groundbreaking research announced today at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2025 and published in the Lancet. Researchers at the University of Exeter, funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome and NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre, and supported by Diabetes UK, have developed an innovative way of identifying the most effective glucose-lowering drugs for a person with type 2 diabetes. By predicting which drug will lead to the largest reduction in blood glucose ...

Peer reviewed/ Simulation/modelling /People   A new AI model can flag female patients who are at higher risk of heart disease based on an electrocardiogram (ECG).   The researchers say the algorithm, designed specifically for female patients, could enable doctors to identify high-risk women earlier, enabling better treatment and care. Details are published today in Lancet Digital Health.   An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart and is one of the most common medical tests in the world. In ...

Our organs age at different rates, and a blood test determining how much they’ve each aged could predict the risk of conditions like lung cancer and heart disease decades later, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers. The findings, published in The Lancet Digital Health, show how accelerated ageing in specific organs can predict not only diseases affecting that organ, but diseases across the rest of the body as well. Lead author Professor Mika Kivimaki (UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences) said: “Our organs function as an integrated system, but they can age at different rates. ...

A new species of manzanita — a native California shrub famous for its twisted branches and wildfire resilience — has been discovered on the central coast, but its survival is already threatened by urban development that could destroy much of its fragile population. The discovery is detailed in a new study published in PhytoKeys, where researchers used genetic analysis to confirm the plant as a distinct species. Named Arctostaphylos nipumu to honor the Nipomo Mesa where it was discovered and its indigenous heritage, the species stands out for its shaggy gray bark — ...

New Curtin University research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping Earth’s surface and paving the way for complex life to flourish. By chemically analysing crystals in ancient rocks, the researchers discovered that as glaciers carved through the landscape, they scraped deep into the Earth’s crust, releasing key minerals that altered ocean chemistry. This process had a profound impact on our planet’s composition, creating conditions that allowed ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields — a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect — supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in which light waves can be manipulated by applying electric fields.  Conventional nonlinear optical materials such as lithium niobate have large electro-optic response but are ...

UdeM reproductive biologist Greg FitzHarris and his team show for the first time that sister cells can communicate with each other through a bridge that allows them to die in a coordinated way. Sister cells are a pair of cells that share the same mother cell. In a new study published in Developmental Cell, researchers led by Université de Montréal (UdeM) professor Greg FitzHarris show how the early mouse embryo gets rid of the defective or unneeded cells in pairs. “Such a mechanism could serve to ensure the elimination of cells with a ...